Bandung group take on French masterpiece

By Wawan S. Husin

BANDUNG (JP): Studiklub Teater Bandung (STB) produced a work of Jean Giraudoux (l882 - l944), La Guerre de Troie n'ausa pas lieu (The Trojan War Wouldn't Happen) for two-day on July 4 and July 5 by CCF at Taman Budaya Jawa Barat on their "Silang Seni Program 2000".

Giraudoux is a French novelist, essayist and playwright, and has produced about 50 works. His novels -- among others Siegfired, Amphytron 38, Judith, Intermezzo -- and his plays are very respected in French literature.

His two plays La Guerre de Troie n'ausa pas lieu and La Folle de Chaillot (Mad woman of Chaillot) are regarded as masterpieces.

The writer was a graduate of Ecole Normale Superieure and he entered a life of public servant in 1910. The play La Guerre was first performed in l935 in Theatre d'Athenes, the play was inspired by the Illiad by Homer, dating back to the eighth century, and used the setting of place of Troy and Sparta.

The writing of the play could be a reflection of the attitude of Europeans toward war since they experienced a bitter calamity in World War I. Giraudoux himself served as a soldier and he knew the nightmarish aspect of war. It goes without saying that he wrote the play at his peak awareness to warn world leaders of the danger and damnation of war.

In Bandung, STB first performed the play in l967 under the direction of Jim Adi Limas who had lived in Paris and chosen a life as stage artist. And in 2000 it is Suyatna Anirun who directed the play in Taman Budaya Jawa Barat.

Big liar

The play, attended by about 1,500 people in two days, began with the scene of the meeting between the royals with members of the Senate. The king (M. Sunjaya) was anxious to solve the problem created by Paris (Dedi Warsana) who kidnapped Helen, the Spartan queen.

The Trojan people adored Helen for her beauty - yet treacherous to her husband. They were ready to fight against the Spartans. Demokos (Uep Mulyana) was one of the Senate members promoting war.

Two of the noble Spartans (Ulysses and Oaks) met Hector (Yusef Muldiana), Paris's older brother. Hector - had just returned from the war - and was against the war and wanted to return Helen to the Spartan kingdom.

Hector knew for sure how the war would kill people and make them victims of violence and death. He was absolutely against the war. But Demokos was against him, he was an absolute supporter of the war.

Once Hector met Ulysses, and he realized that Ulysses wanted to attack Troy, and Ulysses would announce the war. In his bottle neck, there came Oaks, a colleague of Ulysses, to the palace and bothers the ladies of the palace. Suddenly Demokos entered the room and said bad words to Hector. Hector was angry and stabbed him.

On his deathbed, Demokos told Buntiris (Herman) that he was killed by Oaks. Buntiris was angry and asked the guards to arrest Oaks. Demokos had been successfully influencing Buntiris who then instructed the war to be started.

Demokos was a big liar. The war was about to explode. The people went to the gate and opened it. To their surprise, on the opening of the gate, they saw Helen and Paris were embracing each other full of love.

Fate

The story seems simple but beyond it lays the question that Giraudoux has been asking. Was the war created by people (Demokos)? Or was it a problem of fate? So what was then the function of Demokos (and other Demokoses in the world)? Could people rebel against fate? In Giraudoux's time the question should be: who was responsible for World War I? What was the fate?

In contemporary Indonesian we seem to be asking: What happened in the country? Were the riots in so many places like Lampung, Ambon, Papua, Poso - a fate? Or were they created by the people like Demokos? Are ambition and power - and above all, wealth - defining factors?

Giraudoux, Jim Adi Limas, and Sutyatna Anirun are those who lined up asking such questions: Who cares for the people? What is fate, what is predestination?

In line with such world-famous works such as Gone With the Wind, War and Peace, La Guerre de Troie n'ausa pas lieu also uses love (Paris and Helen) as being interwoven with war. As though love and war are the two great energies in life that move the world.

The performance which was supported mostly by actors and actresses from STSI (School of Performing Arts) of Bandung, could be in line with the philosophy of STB as a Theatrical Studies.

The Company has become a playground for artists in Bandung to have their plays publicly known. Among the actors, I would mention Uwep (as Demokos) and Ayi (as Ulysses) as playing slightly better than the others.

Although the play could be enjoyed as a good performance, not so many artists were successful in acting more than they "should" be acting. Special attention could be paid to Prabu, whose only 10-minute appearance charmed the audience. He has potential to be dug up and could become a great actor in the future.

Ayi and Uwep who played "silly billy" people in Tabib Gadungan last in Bandung in May proved that they are real artists who can play in and live as the characters they are playing.

Uwep's choice of gestures, firmed mimic and tension he exhibited is evidence that his exploration is more than enough. His acting - thanks to the director that does not use masks on the actors - are very powerful yet under control. His vocal, especially was so impressive to make him the center of attention.

Giraudoux in his La Guerre de troie n'ausa pas lieu is likely to remind: that war is not a solution to the problem. The people could only witness whether the leaders of the country would choose the path of Demokos (ruined by history) or the one of Hector, against the war but cannot stand still when he had to choose - in order to avoid a bigger and more menacing war - or just returned to the core of Giraudoux's philosophy: was Fate created or given by Heaven?